A Kazakh-Russian top model jumped to her death from a residential building two years after she was flown to Jeffrey Epstein's so-called pedophile island as an 18-year-old.
Ruslana Korshunova – a catwalk superstar and one-time face of Nina Ricci perfume – committed suicide in her Wall Street apartment in 2008, aged just 20.
And now can reveal how she traveled to Epstein's Little St. James island on his private Boeing 727 plane – dubbed the “Lolita Express” – shortly before her tragic death. She belonged to a cult at the time of her suicide, and her appearance in Epstein's flight logs raised fears that she had been badly exploited.
Virginia Roberts-Giuffre was asked by her attorney if she knew Korshuova by Brad Edwards, a Florida-based attorney, to Roberts-Giuffre in a May 2011 email unsealed Thursday evening.
Roberts-Giuffre was asked by Edwards, who was acting as her PR, about the model, who he said had enjoyed a trip to a private island with a wealthy male admirer.
In June 2006, at the age of 18, she flew with Epstein and other friends in his Boeing 727, called the “Lolita Express,” from New York to his private island of Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is unclear what happened to her while she was there, but Epstein was known for flying girls and young women to his compound, where they were sexually exploited by him and other men.
“I think it's a stretch that you would recognize them, but read the article I attached and then look at the pictures and see if you recognize them,” Edwards wrote. 'I will call you tomorrow.'
Ruslana Korshunova appears as a model for Cynthia Rowe in September 2007
Korshunova appears in a DKNY campaign. The Kazakhstan-born Russian was discovered while appearing in a magazine in 2003 and was spotted by Models 1 agent Debbie Jones
Korshunova is seen on the runway during New York Fashion Week in September 2005, walking for fashion label Naum
Virginia Roberts-Giuffre holds up a photo of her younger self. She said she “never had any meetings with” Korshunova
Jeffrey Epstein's infamous “Lolita Express” – a private Boeing 727 plane that carried celebrity passengers and alleged underage girls – is pictured on a Georgia landing strip in exclusive photos obtained by . It is to be scrapped in parts for scrap
The Boeing 727 – nicknamed the “Lolita Express” – has not flown since 2016 and was sold to Florida-based World Aviation Services in 2020. Epstein is pictured on the jet receiving a foot massage from Ghislaine Maxwell with French model scout Jean-Luc Brunel. who killed himself in prison while awaiting trial on child sexual abuse charges
Edwards included a link to a Newsweek report on the model's death.
Roberts-Giuffre responded: “I am so sorry to hear the news about Ruslana and my condolences go out to her family and friends.”
“I can say that I have never had a meeting with her, I'm sorry I couldn't help her with that.”
The exchange was announced Thursday as a series of documents from Roberts-Giuffre's 2015 libel case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's right-hand man, were unsealed. The documents were unsealed this week after a Manhattan judge ruled there was no longer any reason to keep the files secret.
Epstein died in prison in August 2019 awaiting trial, and Maxwell is now in prison serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
Korshunova was born in Kazakhstan to Russian parents and was looking for scouts after the fall of the USSR. A model scout saw a photo of her in an airline magazine in which she described her teenage aspirations to learn German.
She was thrown into a glamorous jet-setting life, working as a model alongside Lily Cole and Jessica Stam and winning legions of fans.
Korshunova is seen backstage at the Lela Rose show in Spring 2006 in 2005
Korshunova wears Venexiana's Spring 2006 collection on the runway
The Kazakhstan-born Russian model presents Rachel Roy's 2008 collection
Epstein's flight logs for April, May and June 2006 released by the courts
Korshunova's name is circled on the manifesto. She was on board JE (Epstein); IZ (his bodyguard Igor Zinoviev, a former UFC fighter); LC (Lance Calloway, who worked as Epstein's cook on the island); SK (Epstein's long-time assistant Sarah Kellen) and Stephanie Tidwell
A picture released at the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell shows the idyllic island of Little St. James with the sprawling Epstein villa
Two private islands previously owned by pedophile Jeffrey Epstein have finally been purchased after more than a year on the market
Epstein hosted parties for the rich and famous on Little St. James, with guests ranging from Prince Andrew to Stephen Hawking. Pictured: Jeffrey Epstein receives a massage from his assistant Sarah Kellen on his private island
The main property on Little St. James is surrounded by several other buildings, including the maids' quarters and a massive, square white building at one end of the island that some say is a music room with acoustic walls
The sprawling estate Epstein built in Little St. James, with surrounding lawns and a swimming pool. In the background a jetty extends into the clear, blue water
But she was hurt because she kept being let down by rich men who amazed her with their wealth and then left her.
It is not clear how she met Epstein, but Maxwell was known for recruiting glamorous young women into his entourage.
Epstein also promised some young women help with their visas if they worked with him. The visa status of the Kazakhstan-born beauty is unknown.
Epstein and his friend and Palm Beach neighbor Donald Trump attended parties where models gathered.
In November 1992, Trump hosted a raucous party with NFL cheerleaders at his Mar-a-Lago estate and invited Epstein. In 1997, the couple was photographed at a Victoria's Secret party in New York City.
Another friend of Epstein was model scout Jean-Luc Brunel. He died by suicide in February 2022 while awaiting trial on child sexual abuse charges.
Korshunova lived in Manhattan's financial district in the mid-2000s.
On June 7, 2006, she boarded the flight with Epstein at JFK Airport; his bodyguard Igor Zinoviev, a former UFC fighter; and Lance Calloway, who worked as Epstein's cook on the island.
Two other women were also on board – Stephanie Tidwell and Epstein's long-time assistant Sarah Kellen.
Kellen was described as a “knowing participant in the criminal conspiracy” by Judge Alison Nathan during Maxwell's sentencing in 2022. The judge added that Kellen was “supervised” by Maxwell.
Korshunova appeared on stage as a model for Marc Jacobs during New York Fashion Week 2005.
She has posed for famous photographers Mario Sorrenti, Paolo Roversi and Willy Van Der Perre and appeared in campaigns for Kenzo, Clarins and Paul Smith.
Her portfolio has included modeling assignments for Kenzo, Vera Wang, Nina Ricci, Donna Karan and Christian Dior, and she has appeared on the covers of magazines such as Russian Vogue and France's Elle.
British Vogue described her face as “a face to be happy about,” while some fashion journalists called her the “Russian Rapunzel.”
The year Korshunova sat on Epstein's plane was her fashion peak: that winter she was the cover star of style magazine The New York Times.
But two years after that Lolita Express flight, she would be dead. No further details were ever revealed about her time with Epstein and it is unclear whether he triggered the spiral that led to her death.
Korshunova can be seen on the cover of The New York Times style magazine in winter 2006
In June 2008, Korshunova broke through the net erected by construction workers on the roof of her building in New York's financial district to jump to her death
Crowds stand next to Korshunova's wrapped body on June 28, 2008
A 2014 book by author and academic Peter Pomerantsev – Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia – detailed Korshunova's decision to join an extreme “support group” in Russia that critics have described as a cult became.
She was driven to the group after her modeling career suffered a setback and sought help from “coaches” who humiliated members and blamed them for the mistakes in her life.
Korshunova had fallen in love with an oligarch whom Pomerantsev called “Alexander,” who dumped her and left her heartbroken. When she returned to New York City from Moscow, she fell in love with a Russian luxury car dealer in the last months of her life – but he also left her.
She found solace, Pomerantsev wrote, in the extreme “self-help group.”
The Rose of the World cult had a reputation for treating its followers in a “dehumanizing” manner. The meetings were characterized by Pomerantsev – who joined him to research his book – as shouting, confusion and emotional dominance.
Shortly after signing up for one of her classes – which reportedly cost more than $300 a day – Korshunova was found dead in the street.
HOT QUESTIONS: WHAT IS THE ROSE OF WORLD CULT?
The Rose Of The World cult, known as Roza Mira, is a Moscow-based organization that grew out of the works of Russian mystic Daniil Andreev.
The mystical writer wanted to unify the concepts of the major world religions, but also believed in reincarnation and karma.
The cult emerged in the 1980s from a group called Lifespring in the USA. The organization went bankrupt after former members sued for psychological harm.
Journalist Peter Pomerantsev, who has studied the cult, told the Daily News that the group aims to humiliate its members and blame them for their problems. A rape victim was told it was her fault.
The cult even advocates that it is better for members to die if they cannot change their behavior.